


the star knows

by hokoriogori



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Cat Familiar Wooseok, Friends With Benefits, Happy Ending, Living Together, Lots of purring, M/M, Pining, Sexual Content, This isn't that kind of fic, Witch Seungyoun, the sexual content does NOT involve cacti
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 10:47:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20704700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hokoriogori/pseuds/hokoriogori
Summary: Seungyoun has a lot going on in his life right now: being in love with his familiar, Wooseok; struggling to conduct his research; and trying to stop Yohan from running into his semi-sentient cactus.One of those things is not like the other.





	the star knows

Wooseok gets a lot of compliments.

Like, “Oh my gosh, he’s so cute, can I pet him?” And Seungyoun always says yes because he knows Wooseok loves it. His tail might swish back and forth in fake annoyance, but a purr rumbles in his throat while a hand brushes through his fur, and he huffs loud enough for Seungyoun to hear when they leave to continue on through their day.

“Calm down, I’ll pet you,” Seungyoun mutters, stroking behind Wooseok’s ears. It’s never just the two of them for long when they’re in public; people flock to Wooseok like he’s the first cat they’ve ever seen. Wooseok claims it’s his unique colouring. 

Seungyoun secretly thinks that it’s Wooseok stealing all of his magic and using it to get people to pay attention to him.

If Seungyoun somehow manages to drag Wooseok out of the house as a _person _(the key, and exceedingly rare, part), he gets even more compliments. Seungyoun isn’t as receptive to these as he is when it’s teenagers fawning over Wooseok’s silly, squished cat face. 

Wooseok’s favourite place to go, aside from the supermarket, is the bar near Seungyoun’s workplace. The first few times they came, Wooseok tugged him into a corner and unintentionally glared at everyone who looked in his direction. 

Now, he leans easily against the table, practically purring as he entertains the offers of a fresh-faced businessman to buy him a drink. After the guy pays, Wooseok laughs: “Sorry, I’m not single. That guy over there collared me up.”

“Oh.” The guy’s expression twists into surprise momentarily, but after a moment, he laughs. “I probably should’ve known. There’s no way someone like you would be here alone, right?”

“Naturally,” Wooseok agrees, and hooks his arm around Seungyoun’s. 

Contrary to what Wooseok likes to tell people at clubs, they aren’t together; though it’s not for Seungyoun’s lack of trying.

That doesn’t mean Seungyoun isn’t still madly in love with him.

“I’m cold,” Wooseok complains, flopping onto the couch beside Seungyoun. He nuzzles his face to Seungyoun’s shoulder, nipping at his shirt for no particular reason; sometimes he does cat things simply because he’s a cat. Seungyoun is used to it by now. “Warm me up,” he says. He throws his arms around Seungyoun’s shoulders.

“Warm yourself up, I’m working.” Seungyoun taps away at the report on his laptop: _The Synthesis of New Witching Plants and the New Genes Associated With Them_. A mouthful that Seungyoun prefers to call ‘The Thesis from Hell,’ because for some reason he decided to pursue research instead of entrepreneurship like everyone else he knows. 

Wooseok’s nose crinkles. His tail wraps around Seungyoun’s thigh, not nearly enough to pull him over, but enough for Seungyoun to get annoyed and try and push him off.

“You need to take a break. It’s almost midnight,” Wooseok says more seriously. “I know for a fact your break alarm went off thirty minutes ago, because it woke me up. And yet here you are, distracted by your screen, as usual.”

“Stop, you sound like my parents complaining about phones.” Seungyoun groans, quickly tabbing out of his document before he can process another thought and be forced to continue typing. He doesn’t particularly want to take a break, but Wooseok will only get more persistent the longer Seungyoun puts it off. He might as well take a few minutes now and get it over with so that he can spend the rest of the night working without interruption.

“Your parents _are _usually right about most things,” Wooseok points out. He takes Seungyoun’s laptop and sets it on the table so he can move to his favourite resting spot in their apartment—Seungyoun’s lap. “Mm, better.”

“You’re already burning, you know? If anything, you should be trying to cool off, not absorbing all my body heat.” 

Wooseok ignores him, playing with Seungyoun’s hair and shutting his eyes with his cheek to Seungyoun’s shoulder. “Mmmmm.”

“You’re such a cat,” Seungyoun mumbles, though not without affection. Wooseok starts purring as if on command.

“Pet me,” he demands.

“You’re so _spoiled_.” Wooseok sticks his tongue out at him and Seungyoun decides to pet him only because Wooseok’s tongue is distracting. Wooseok’s purring grows louder, his ears going flat underneath Seungyoun’s strokes. 

This is pretty much the domestic future Seungyoun dreamt of as a child. Sitting around, being completely unproductive, and making fun of each other. 

While Wooseok claims to prefer being a cat, he spends the majority of his time as a person, sneaking kisses to Seungyoun’s cheek and reading cheesy mystery novels. Seungyoun’s read that familiars are supposed to be _helpful_, but Wooseok is more of a distraction than anything.

A beautiful one, but still a distraction.

“Okay, it’s been like five minutes. Get up,” Seungyoun says, lightly slapping Wooseok’s butt. Wooseok squirms, refusing to move; if anything, he only snakes himself tighter around Seungyoun. “Seriously? You know I have to submit this by tomorrow, right?”

“Not my fault you procrastinated.”

“It’d be easier if you weren’t blocking the view of my laptop.”

“I’m not _that_ big. I’m pretty sure you can see over my shoulder.” Wooseok ducks his head. It’s true he’s small, but it’s incredibly inconvenient to try and type around his body.

Wooseok seems set on staying in position, though, so Seungyoun doesn’t exactly have a choice. He gets in one more page and three citations before Wooseok starts kissing his jaw.

“Why,” Seungyoun deadpans, but his body betrays his mind when he tilts his head back, letting Wooseok get a better angle at his neck. He can feel the pleased rumble in Wooseok’s chest as he does so, and then the light bite of his teeth along his jugular. 

“Because I’m bored,” Wooseok mumbles.

“_Tomorrow_, Wooseok. It’s literally due in less than twenty-four hours now.”

“You’re hot,” Wooseok continues. “Is that a better excuse? If I inflate your ego a bit? But I don’t think you need me to tell you that.”

He flutters his eyelashes at Seungyoun, and Seungyoun knows what he’s trying to do, what he’s _doing_. They don’t break eye contact as Wooseok sucks another mark onto his neck. 

“If we fuck now, will you go to sleep?” Seungyoun asks.

“Hmm. Well, I don’t know.” Seungyoun slaps his ass again, harder than before, and Wooseok jolts. While Wooseok knows all of Seungyoun’s weak places, he’s had more than enough time to figure out Wooseok’s as well. “I’ll sleep, I promise. You need a break. Please?”

“Don’t act like you’re doing this because you actually want me to take a break,” Seungyoun laughs, pushing Wooseok back-first onto the couch. Wooseok whines a protest that’s muffled by Seungyoun’s mouth as he ravishes him in the kisses he’s apparently desperate for.

Seungyoun wouldn’t consider himself possessive, but even he has to admit he’d be jealous if Wooseok went to other people. He _can_, of course, Seungyoun would never stop him; he just doesn’t. Wooseok doesn’t like to speak about his own feelings, but his actions speak for themselves, or at least Seungyoun hopes. 

It seems like a no-brainer that Wooseok would come to him, except he’s seeing on the news more and more lately of stories about magical beings and their familiars ‘breaking up’. In other words, living together but never talking and definitely never touching. 

Maybe it’s the right choice for those people. He tries not to judge them. It only makes Seungyoun nauseous to think about him and Wooseok like that.

There’s nine-something billion people on Earth, and that’s only who’s been indexed by the government. Between all of the new magical creatures popping up lately, the number is probably higher. 

But Seungyoun doesn’t need to see them all to know that Wooseok is perfect for him.

When Wooseok stops squirming underneath his touch and lets Seungyoun press into him, he wonders if Wooseok was made for him. He knows how familiars are made: that somewhere along the line, Seungyoun’s magic manifested into its own person. However, rather than simply being another branch of Seungyoun’s own personality, Wooseok is his opposite. Instead of being part of Seungyoun, it’s like he’s everything Seungyoun’s brain wanted to fall in love with. 

And as purely selfish as it is, he hates the thought of someone he knows, _feels_, is so perfect specifically for him with someone else. So while Seungyoun would obviously let him do whatever he wants, because he’s never thought of Wooseok as _his_ or a part of him properly, he wouldn’t be happy about it.

Fortunately, as it stands, Seungyoun’s still the only person who’s ever gotten to push Wooseok onto a bed and kiss him. The only person to ever wrap his hand around Wooseok’s cock and feel him immediately get wet. 

“Big,” Wooseok pants, his legs on Seungyoun’s shoulders. 

“You say that every time,” Seungyoun mutters, but he’s feeling a little winded himself. He can feel himself getting close, the heat building up a little more every time he moves, but the thought of going back to his work now is pretty undesirable. 

The sight of Wooseok’s flushed face, his hair sticking to his cheeks and his lips wet, is a lot better than his incomplete report.

He should’ve done his thesis on Wooseok instead. _Why is my familiar so perfect for me but not in the way I want. _It’s a catchier title than the one he has right now.

“The size of your cock hasn’t changed since the last time we fucked, Seungyounie.”

Seungyoun grabs Wooseok by the hair and pulls him up for another kiss, rocking into him as he does. Wooseok grabs at his back, whimpering. Seungyoun keeps going and stopping and repeating until Wooseok covers his face and mumbles “please” between his fingers. 

“Please what?” Seungyoun asks, toying with Wooseok’s ears. 

He’s the only person who’s ever heard Wooseok _beg_.

“Please let me cum,” Wooseok whispers. Seungyoun laughs and thrusts into him, so hard Wooseok’s body sinks into the side of the couch. His toes curl and his thighs tense beside Seungyoun’s cheeks as he cums, _finally_, moaning Seungyoun’s name.

Wooseok never lets Seungyoun go without at least five bites on his neck, always _just _high enough so that they peek out of the collar of his shirt.

“You look _really_ tired, dude,” Yohan interrupts Seungyoun’s train of thought. Seungyoun’s first instinct is to throw the nearest object at him, but considering the nearest thing to him is a cactus, he’s not sure that’s a good idea for either of them. “Wooseok hyung keep you up again?”

“More like this project.” Seungyoun turns back to his observations. He knows his hypothesis is right; as in, there’s no reason why it _shouldn’t _be right. But he’s been observing this stupid plant for weeks and it hasn’t grown an inch since the day it sprouted. 

Setting down his own notebook on the other side of the table, Yohan squints at the offending plant. 

“It looks normal?” Yohan says, poking it. “Ow!” Seungyoun snorts. 

“Cacti usually have thorns, you know.”

“Well, this cacti hasn’t actually _grown _yet. I can’t even see them, they’re so small. Ouch. Holy shit. How can they be so small and hurt so bad?” Yohan sucks the blood out of his finger, but it just wells back up again. “Am I going to die?”

“It hasn’t actually grown yet,” Seungyoun repeats. He fishes through the drawer underneath the desk and finds some healing solution. For once, Yohan doesn’t make fun of how it’s almost empty and instead liberally pours the rest on his finger. “Maybe if it was fully grown. I don’t know. If it ever grows, I guess.”

“Have you asked Seungwoo hyung?”

While Yohan is an admittedly competent lab assistant for his age, Seungwoo is by far the most knowledgeable witch out of all of them. Unlike Seungyoun, his familiar actually _does _stuff, including but not limited to doing most of his day-to-day tasks; thereby leaving Seungwoo with a lot of time to look up the things Seungyoun is too lazy to. They’re actually a fairly competent team together, but Seungwoo is also easily stressed and Seungyoun really doesn’t want to add more to his pile of work. 

Across the room, Seungwoo is recording his own observations. The plants he’s been cultivating for the past few months are fully-grown; all that’s left is to continue observing them long enough to deduce whether his hypothesis was correct. Seungyoun doesn’t have any doubts that Seungwoo’s part of the project will be perfect.

He won’t ask for real help until he’s _sure _his cactus is unsalvageable. Or if he could at least figure out why, so that he doesn’t end up making the same mistakes in his inevitable re-do. 

“Ow!” Yohan shouts.

“Seriously? Again?” Yohan whines, shaking his hand. “Did you literally just touch it to see if it would hurt?”

“_No_,” Yohan answers, not wanting to offer anymore explanation than that. 

“... Then...?”

“I don’t know!” Yohan snaps. Seungyoun blinks at him, stepping back a little. He doesn’t really have any idea what’s going on, but Yohan doesn’t seem to know either, judging by the annoyance on his face. “I need an actual bandage this time,” he groans.

“Go get one before you inexplicably touch it and hurt yourself again,” Seungyoun sighs. Yohan sniffles, looking a bit like a kicked puppy, and scutters off. He probably tripped over his own shoelaces and fell into the plant somehow while Seungyoun wasn’t looking. It sounds ridiculous, but Yohan has managed to do weirder things.

He finishes the rest of his day at the lab with a grand total of zero new observations. Unfortunately, ‘hurts when touched’ isn’t a new observation for cacti. By the time he gets on the bus home, he’s about to pass out; and by the time he actually gets home, he passes out on the bed. 

Halfway through his spontaneous rest, he wakes up to a mouthful of fur. Wooseok is curled up beside him, small and in his preferred cat position of his head resting on his paws. 

Rearranging himself, he throws his arms over him and drags him closer, burying his nose into Wooseok’s soft fur. Wooseok stretches out but doesn’t get up, and so Seungyoun falls back asleep, a little more at peace.

“Why are you so insatiable?” Seungyoun grumbles, propping himself up on his elbows. “What time is it?”

“I don’t know, Seungyoun, I should be asking you that, since my existence comes from yours. Did you purposely make me to be horny all the time?” Seungyoun thinks _no_, but Wooseok taking off his shirt says differently. Seungyoun’s cock stirs, seeing old marks littered all over Wooseok’s body.

“I didn’t make you,” Seungyoun retorts weakly. He doesn’t like that wording. Wooseok just poofed into existence one day—quite literally, in a cloud of smoke that made his apartment’s smoke detectors go off. And as a _cat_, too. Seungyoun was two seconds away from calling his local humane society before he figured out what was happening.

Actually, he still considered sending Wooseok to the humane society, only because Wooseok had been incredibly shy then and tried to scratch Seungyoun’s eyes out every time he picked him up. 

He’s glad he didn’t, though. He can’t remember what his life was like before it involved this.

_This _meaning everything that Wooseok comes with, but also him sitting on Seungyoun and unbuttoning his shirt to reveal Seungyoun’s chest. Wooseok’s eyes darken when he sees Seungyoun’s tattoos, licking his lips. 

He always goes for the cat’s paw branded on Seungyoun’s shoulder first. Seungyoun can’t remember the last time that area wasn’t covered in hickies.

“Yeah, yeah,” Wooseok brushes him off, settling on Seungyoun’s thighs. “You need this as much as I do.” Seungyoun can’t really argue with that when he gives in every time.

Rarely, emphasis on _rare_, Wooseok comes with him to the lab. Not so much because he seems to care about Seungyoun’s research, but to talk with their undergraduate assistants. They love to harass him with questions (“What do you do all day when Seungyoun isn’t home?” “Sleep.”) and use his magic. 

Unlike their boring human magic, Wooseok’s is completely unmonitored, and so more often than not, the lab gets littered in illegally-made chocolates or other items that they really should be paying for by the end of the day.

“My hypothesis is that given how Wooseok hyung is excitable today, you’re about to die. Am I right?” Yohan questions. They’re both watching Wooseok procure a bouquet of toxic flowers for Junho. 

They probably should be more concerned, but while Wooseok can be frivolous, safety isn’t something he takes lightly. He waits for Junho to pull on his gloves and mask before passing them to him with a bright smile. 

For some reason, for once, seeing Wooseok smiling at his friends doesn’t make him feel warm. He only feels _anxious_. It has to do more with Seungyoun’s stupid cactus than Wooseok himself; but it is a bit worrying that being around Wooseok isn’t cheering him up. 

It doesn’t matter how many times Wooseok dodges the question of whether or not they’re dating—Seungyoun’s heart still beats faster every time he sees him. Although right now, Seungyoun’s more worried about going into cardiac arrest over his project than being in love with Wooseok. 

“Earth to Seungyoun hyung.” Yohan waves his hand in front of Seungyoun’s face, snapping him out of his daze.

“Sorry, I...” Seungyoun glances down at his notebook. He can’t even remember what they were doing before he zoned out. 

Luckily, Yohan isn’t that oblivious. “Temperature?” he prompts.

“Oh, yeah.”

The temperature of the plant is, unsurprisingly, the same as it’s been for its entire lifespan. The only time it ever changed was because Eunsang decided to light candles all over the lab and it made the entire room heat up so bad it nearly caused them all to get heat exhaustion. 

Still, they have to check it every day. Yohan diligently helps him take the soil samples after, careful not to dislodge the roots of the plant.

“Um... oh, Seungyoun hyung!” a chipper voice says. Dongpyo, Seungwoo’s familiar, runs up holding a clipboard and carrying a star in a bottle. Seungyoun battles with himself not to shy away—he doesn’t care about how _supposedly_ safe it is to run around with literal stars, he still doesn’t like being around them without ten layers of protective gear. Dongpyo, however, is apparently completely unaffected by the prospect of being burnt alive. 

“The one and only.” Seungyoun forces a smile. 

Dongpyo’s own grin falls a bit, and Seungyoun immediately feels guilty. _See_, this is exactly why he hasn’t told Seungwoo about his worries yet. Seungwoo would just go and tell Dongpyo who would go and tell everyone and then the entire lab would be depressed all because of Seungyoun’s cactus. 

“Seungwoo hyung wants you to put a shield charm over your, um, specimen. It hurt another person today.”

“Another?” Was there a _first_? Seungyoun didn’t think it was possible to get more anxious, but his stomach falls even lower. 

Jumping on his heels, Dongpyo quickly shakes both his hands to calm Seungyoun down. It doesn’t do much because the star-jar nearly falls out of his grasp in his haste, but Seungyoun guesses it’s the thought that counts. “No, no! Not serious, I mean. Just Yohan hyung again.”

Yohan squeaks, immediately crossing his arms defensively. 

“Again?” Seungyoun asks. He totally forgot about Yohan hurting himself on the cactus because—well, it’s Yohan—but he really can’t think of a single scenario in which Yohan just so happened to trip into his plant _again _and hurt himself.

“It was an accident! I tripped into it again and hurt myself, but like, it wasn’t a big deal.”

“Seungwoo hyung just thinks it might be better to put a charm around it to avoid...” Dongpyo sneaks a glance at Yohan, “... more incidents,” he finishes.

“... Right,” Seungyoun says slowly. He didn’t put any charms on it in the first place because he was afraid it would stunt its growth somehow, but that’s not really an issue at this point. “Tell him I will.”

Dongpyo nods, checking off something on his clipboard. “Thanks! Just update your log when you do. And, Yohan hyung, please get new shoelaces.” He skips away to the next station, leaving Seungyoun glaring at Yohan.

“You aren’t somehow sabotaging my plant by tripping into it, right?” Seungyoun jokes, without much actual humour behind it. Yohan’s shoulders slump and he pouts at him.

“No, hyung, I _actually _tripped, I swear.” 

He doesn’t actually think Yohan hurt himself on purpose, but it’s just Seungyoun’s luck that this all would happen. His hypothesis obviously failed, his plant is apparently a magnet for disaster, and now Seungwoo knows about it via Yohan’s clumsiness. 

The casting of the charm grabs Wooseok’s attention and he makes his way back to Seungyoun. He has a leaf stuck to his hair and Seungyoun wants to laugh at him, but he can’t find the energy.

“Is everything okay?” Wooseok asks quietly, a far cry from how happy he was talking with the kids a few minutes earlier.

“Yeah, just. Y’know. My cactus.” Seungyoun gestures towards the plant. It doesn’t gesture back. He kind of wishes it would; he wouldn’t care if it sprouted arms or legs or weapons, if it could just sprout _something_.

“Oh.” Following Seungyoun’s gaze, they both stare blankly at the cactus. After a moment of silence, Wooseok tugs on his sleeve. “Let’s go home.”

“Already? There’s still like—” Seungyoun glances at the clock on the wall. It’s half past five, already thirty minutes after they were supposed to leave. Wooseok must’ve been waiting around for him while he and Yohan talked. 

“Mm. You need to eat, and shower, and cuddle me, and then sleep.” Wooseok loops their arms together. “You can deal with this next week, okay? After the weekend. Let’s go home.”

Wooseok bumps the sides of their heads together—some cat thing he always does that hurts Seungyoun’s temples, but it actually does cheer Seungyoun up a bit. By like, one percent, maybe. 

“Alright, but tonight we’re ordering pizza,” Seungyoun decides. Wooseok lips curl into a tiny pout.

“We had pizza yesterday!”

“But I want pizza again today.”

“My stomach isn’t adapted to eat so many carbohydrates.”

“Then I’ll get a meat pizza and you can pick off the meat and eat it by itself.”

“That’s gross, then it gets soggy and—”

“Oh my god! Shhh! My star is waking up!” Dongpyo shrieks, drowning out the rest of the chatter in the room. Seungyoun and Wooseok both straighten up and then run out of the room while the others all go _Ooooh _and _Ahhhh _at the expanding star.

Once they’re out of what Wooseok deems the danger zone, they stop running. In reality, even if the star did explode, everyone in a ten-kilometre radius would be fucked over. But Wooseok laughs when he sees Seungyoun’s face, and Seungyoun can’t help but giggle back.

“I just don’t trust them,” Seungyoun grumbles, but it’s the first time he’s managed to crack a genuine smile all day.

“Because even though the science says it’s safe, how do we really know for sure that it is until—”

“One explodes and we finds out it isn’t?” Seungyoun finishes for him. Wooseok laughs harder.

“Exactly.”

Wooseok confuses everyone he meets. Even Seungyoun was confused when Wooseok first appeared in his life. He’s introverted, but loves to talk; he’s a cat, who hates raw fish; he always laughs softly when Seungyoun mumbles _I love you_, but never says it back.

The last one used to hurt a lot. But now, Seungyoun pinches himself every night and reminds himself that Wooseok shows his love in other ways. 

“You smell nice,” Seungyoun whispers, crowding Wooseok against the mattress. Wooseok hums in response, letting Seungyoun turn him over. “Did you use the new shampoo I bought you?”

“Mmm.” Wooseok catches his hands mid-air and brings them to his cheeks. Seungyoun brushes his thumbs over them, relishing in the way they heat up under his touch. “It’s a lot better than the, um, cat one.”

“Hey, the girl at the pharmacy told me it was specifically for familiars. I thought it had magic in it or something.”

“No, it really was just for cats,” Wooseok laughs, shutting his eyes. “I’m tired now.”

“You’re always tired,” Seungyoun retorts. He moves to hook one thumb underneath Wooseok’s shirt, ready to pull it off, but Wooseok grabs it and brings it back to his face.

“I’m _sleepy_,” he clarifies.

Seungyoun squints at him. Wooseok stays in place, smiling serenely, hair and ears fanned out over Seungyoun’s pillow. Wooseok is a _cat_—he’s always tired and sleepy. He’s also Wooseok, and Wooseok is always horny. These two things normally coexist peacefully. Rarely does Wooseok ever reject sex on the basis of being too tired.

“Are you tricking me?”

Wooseok opens one eye. “How would I be tricking you by saying I’m sleepy?”

“I don’t know, like...” Seungyoun thinks for a moment. “You’re going to... wait until I fall asleep and then steal all my sex toys.”

Wooseok snorts, covering his grin, eyes crinkling. “Your sex toys are _literally _my sex toys too. I don’t need to steal them.”

“I’m just surprised. You usually... are...” He struggles to find the right words, “... you know.”

“Yes, yes, I know what you’re trying to say, even if you’re being ineloquent. But I really am just tired.” He yawns as if on cue.

Seungyoun isn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth; he loves literally sharing a bed with Wooseok as much as he loves the other meaning of the word. Wooseok seems pleased when Seungyoun settles beside him, and he kicks the sheets until he manages to tuck them under one. 

He listens to Wooseok’s purring for who knows how long, not bothering to lift his head to see if Wooseok has fallen asleep or not. After five years, it still hasn’t gotten old. He knows there’s some kind of biological thing about cat’s purrs being calming, but it’s also the quiet reminder of Wooseok’s happiness that relaxes him.

But the longer they lie there, the more Seungyoun’s mind drifts. A bit about Wooseok, a bit about his cactus, and a lot about life in general. Back when Wooseok first appeared, Seungyoun was an undergraduate student working two jobs and only practicing magic on weekend nights whenever he wasn’t wasted. 

It kind of sucked, but his life was also exciting. Wooseok thought he was exciting too, even if he didn’t take part in most of the things Seungyoun did.

He’s not afraid of Wooseok leaving him or anything. Just—_fuck_. Being in love with your best friend sucks, it double sucks when he’s your familiar, and it triple sucks when you guys are basically dating already and he won’t admit it.

The last thing he wants to do is pressure Wooseok into getting into something he isn’t comfortable with. Wooseok essentially appeared without anything of his own, except the bare bones of his personality and a murky understanding of Seungyoun’s memories. And now he’s himself, so incredibly far beyond whatever Seungyoun could’ve imagined as his familiar when he was a child. 

He hates himself for not being able to get over things quickly. His friends would call him flippant, but it’s been five years and counting since he met Wooseok and he hasn’t gotten over him in the slightest. 

His head hurts so bad. He doesn’t know what he’s feeling anymore. An hour ago, when Wooseok was awake, he felt better, even if it only took a few minutes for Wooseok to pass out. Somehow, in that hour, his mood has plummeted again. His entire life feels like a pendulum swinging from work and stress to home and love. 

“Shh,” Wooseok mumbles. Seungyoun shifts, thinking Wooseok is talking in his sleep, but then Wooseok’s hand flops around to eventually find Seungyoun’s jaw. “Stop thinking.”

“I thought you were asleep,” Seungyoun whispers back. He squeezes Wooseok apologetically. If Wooseok could tell he was getting worked up, he must’ve been far too tense. 

“I was, but your thinking woke me up.” Wooseok pokes him in the forehead. 

“Oh.” Seungyoun doesn’t really know what to say to that. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to yourself.” Wooseok flips himself around so that they’re lying face-to-face. “I...”

Seungyoun waits for him to continue, but Wooseok only looks at him silently, nibbling on his lower lip. He brushes Wooseok’s fringe back, drawing over his fluffy ears.

“You...?”

“I’m... just worried about you,” Wooseok says with a little bit of uncertainty. “That’s all.”

With a smile, Seungyoun stops with his hand on Wooseok’s back. “I’ll be okay. I promise.”

Wooseok gives him a twisted expression tinged with doubt. He yawns again before he can speak more, and hides himself against Seungyoun’s chest.

“Okay,” Wooseok mumbles, voice wavering. Seungyoun kisses the crown of his head and resumes listening to Wooseok’s purring, his thoughts still a mess and dwelling on earlier. He doesn’t get that much sleep that night.

“Seungyoun. Seungyoun. Seungyoun. Seungyoun. Seungy—”

Seungyoun finally snaps, setting his pen down and trying very hard not to actually yell at Wooseok. He’s absolutely exhausted, not just from a lack of sleep but from everything weighing him down. He loves Wooseok—_fuck_, that’s one of the things that worries him the most, really—but he doesn’t have the patience to deal with his mindless complaints right now.

Still, it speaks to the power Wooseok holds over Seungyoun’s heart that the moment he sees him his annoyance ebbs away. Wooseok is holding out Seungyoun’s jacket expectantly, and Seungyoun puts two and two together.

“I can’t go out right now.”

Wooseok shakes the jacket in front of him. “Why not?”

“Because I’m doing _research_,” Seungyoun emphasizes. 

“And you think you’re going to be able to find anything of value within the next ten hours when you can barely stay focused on your screen? Come on, Seungyounie. Up.” He kicks Seungyoun in the ankle. Seungyoun doesn’t have a good response to that. 

There are special rain jackets for familiars nowadays, ones that definitely didn’t exist when Seungyoun was younger. His memories are incredibly murky, but he vaguely recalls his father’s familiar—also a cat—complaining every time she had to go outside. 

Wooseok hates water too, as is typical of most of his breed, but the rain jacket has two slots for his ears so he can still pull the hood up and cover his face. Seungyoun got it for his birthday last year, and hasn’t regretted the exorbitant cost at all since then.

Mostly because he looks really, really cute in it.

“Ready?” Wooseok asks.

“As I’ll ever be.”

Seungyoun should’ve asked where they were going—Wooseok doesn’t exactly know the area well, and Seungyoun isn’t sure he should trust him not to bring them somewhere dangerous. 

He tugs Seungyoun along in the rain, only his fingers poking out from his jacket sleeve so he can hold onto Seungyoun’s hand.

“Where is it... Ah! Here. Step through here.” Wooseok lets go of him and bounds over a few rocks and dead trees on the ground into the forest. Seungyoun can’t even begin to comprehend how Wooseok is afraid of dirt on his fur and yet he has no issues walking through the mud and almost splashing Seungyoun in the face behind him.

They reach a small alcove a few steps in, blissfully free of the rain pouring outside the forest. Seungyoun glances around, trying to find what’s covering the rain. Wooseok laughs at him.

“It’s charmed,” he explains, reaching over to tug Seungyoun’s hood off. “You don’t remember this place?”

“No?” Seungyoun says, confused. By Wooseok’s face, this is the wrong answer.

“This is the first witching place you took me! Five years ago. Look, there’s raindust plants there. If you get thirsty you can drink from them.” Wooseok points at the small, leafy plants littering the roots of the trees.

It takes a moment, but he remembers. He didn’t know what place it was exactly—he just remembers going on Google Maps to find the nearest place with wild magical plants and tugging Wooseok to it. 

“You know my job is literally working with plants, right? You don’t need to explain them to me.”

Wooseok pouts so hard and genuine Seungyoun laughs right in his face.

“That’s why I brought you here! I thought... maybe if you saw something wild again, and... um, personal, it might help you get inspiration.” Seungyoun’s laughter abruptly halts when he sees Wooseok’s cheeks colour. 

Peeling off Wooseok’s wet hood, he gives him a few scratches behind the ears, much to Wooseok’s furthered embarrassment. He’s still pouting. 

“Maybe it will,” Seungyoun agrees. “Thanks, kitten.” Wooseok makes a noise halfway between a squeak and a scream, muttering _thank you_ and _don’t call me that_. 

Wooseok conjures them a blanket (illegal) and also a basket of fruit (definitely illegal), spreading them both out over the grass so they can sit. From inside the clearing, Seungyoun never would’ve guessed it was storming out. 

He munches on an apple, watching the plants sway back and forth in the wind. Wooseok is curled on his side beside him, his nose pressed to Seungyoun’s thigh. The fresh air is nice, and the thrum of magic in the clearing is definitely noticeable now that Wooseok pointed it out. But he _really _can’t focus when Wooseok is so close to him.

At this point, he figures Wooseok should know the kind of effect he has on Seungyoun. It really speaks to how oblivious he is that he doesn’t.

“Eat an apple,” Seungyoun says, poking Wooseok in the cheek.

“I don’t like apples,” Wooseok grumbles back. “I’m resting while you put your brain to good use.”

“If you don’t like apples, why do you keep conjuring them?” Seungyoun plucks one from the basket and plops it into Wooseok’s arms anyways, ignoring his protests. 

“Everyone tells me they’re good. And it’s easy.” He sticks his tongue out at the apple, as if it smells bad. Apples don’t even _have_ a smell, really. “Plus, you like them.”

Seungyoun chuckles. “Because they’re healthy, yeah.”

“The fact I can conjure them at all means I’m healthy. Now you, silly human, need your nutrients.” Wooseok holds up the apple to Seungyoun’s mouth. Seungyoun already has one in his hand, but he entertains Wooseok by taking a bite of his. “Good job, human.”

Seungyoun squints at him. Wooseok smiles back.

“You say that to me all the time. ‘Good job, kitten’. I’m just returning the favour.”

“Okay, but it’s a lot weirder when you say it than when I do.”

Huffing, Wooseok forces Seungyoun to take another bite of the apple. After he does so, he realizes he’s falling right into Wooseok’s trap of being his oversized human pet. Step one: eating on command.

“Why? That’s what it sounds like whenever you say it to me,” Wooseok points out.

“Because...” Seungyoun thinks for a second, looking over Wooseok’s damp ears. They twitch whenever he looks at them for too long, perhaps somehow embarrassed. “... You like it when I call you kitten. You always blush. Human isn’t a cute name.”

“I don’t—” Wooseok stutters. As predicted, blush quickly rises to his cheeks. “It’s not _always_, just most of the time.”

Seungyoun dismisses his words with a wave of his hand. “Yeah, yeah.” 

“Not fair,” Wooseok mumbles. His tail curls around himself. “I brought you here to get inspiration for your work, not to make fun of me.”

“I am getting inspiration,” Seungyoun assures him, though he keeps out the part about the inspiration not being for work. “Plus, it’s nice to just spend time together outside.” He ruffles Wooseok’s hair, to which Wooseok whines and tries to pat it back down. 

They lapse back into a more comfortable silence after that; Seungyoun really does think of some things while blankly staring at the plants situated across from him. Mundane things like needing to keep track of the local wind patterns and other stuff he might’ve missed out on lately. It’s likely not going to save his project, but he might as well check them now that he’s thought of it.

More importantly, Wooseok is in a good mood after, and Seungyoun doesn’t fail to take advantage of it when they get home by manhandling him into bed. Just to cuddle. And maybe kiss a little. And to whisper _thank you for today, I love you_, to which Wooseok giggles and pulls him into a deep kiss.

“Kitten,” Seungyoun licks Wooseok’s lips. Wooseok tilts his head, messing up Seungyoun’s hair as he tries to make the kiss deeper. Seungyoun pulls back at the last moment, leaving a trail of spit in between their mouths. “Patience.”

“I waited all day already,” Wooseok says, immediately latching onto Seungyoun’s neck instead. He presses his tongue and teeth into every unmarked spot on his skin, sloppy and desperate. Seungyoun knows Wooseok is impatient, of course, but it’s nice to know that Wooseok was so impatient to be around _him_. 

“Hey.” Seungyoun twists Wooseok’s hair and pushes him back. “We’re going to go at my pace today. You get to lie down and do nothing.”

“But that’ll take _forever_.”

Seungyoun doesn’t have an answer for that; it’s true. He’s had a long past few days—since they went out the other day together, Seungyoun barely had a chance to rest aside from sleeping at night. Now that he’s been forced to take the weekend off, he intends to savour every moment. 

“You’re so pretty,” Seungyoun mutters, eyes glistening with nothing but lust, easily mirrored by Wooseok’s own. “I can’t let this time go to waste.”

“You know I’m not going anywhere. We have the rest of our lives to take our time, right now I want to _fuck_.” Wooseok enunciates by rolling their hips together. His voice drips of want, deep and rough like he’s already hoarse. His hands travel down Seungyoun’s clothed body until he reaches Seungyoun’s cock, half-hard in his trousers. 

“If I let you cum, I’m not going to stop after,” Seungyoun warns. Wooseok doesn’t seem to care, shoving down Seungyoun’s pants to get at his boxers and then his bare skin. 

“Implying I’m going to cum first?” Wooseok says, giving Seungyoun’s cock a quick stroke. He grins when Seungyoun gives a small gasp. “How brave of you.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Please, I have more patience in my pinky than you have in your whole body, Seungyounie.” He keeps stroking pumping Seungyoun’s cock into his fist. “We both know from experience that I’ll win.”

“We’ll see,” Seungyoun says, already reaching to pull off Wooseok’s boxers.

They don’t actually get to have sex that night, because after they both get off once, Wooseok deems himself sleepy and decides to pass out. Seungyoun feels _slightly _blue-balled, but the feeling disappears after he calms himself down. He tucks himself back into his boxers and does the same for Wooseok—no matter how much he jostles him, Wooseok doesn’t stir. He’s a heavy sleeper.

“Love you,” Seungyoun whispers against one of Wooseok’s ears. Even if he knows Wooseok can’t hear him, wouldn’t acknowledge him even if he could, he likes to think Wooseok’s dreams will be better because of the love Seungyoun pours into him. 

He tucks Wooseok in and then goes back to the living room to watch his guilty pleasure drama. It’s not late enough for him to sleep, but he also doesn’t want to do work, so this is the second best thing he can think of doing aside from having sex with Wooseok.

After his drama finishes, he kicks his feet up on the arm of the couch and chats with Yohan for a bit (and then Hangyul, who steals the phone from him). They both make a point to not talk about work, though they both slip and almost mention the C-A-C-T-U-S word a few times.

When he finally feels his eyes beginning to fall close, he turns on the slow cooker and dumps some chicken in. He’s not hungry for a late-night snack, but he knows Wooseok will be, right at 5AM as he always is. It’d be nice for Wooseok to wake up to something already made, he thinks.

Once the slow cooker is set, he shuts off the TV and returns to their room. Wooseok is a lump underneath the sheets still. Seungyoun brushes his teeth and then climbs onto his side of the bed.

He throws one arm over Wooseok’s body, but it feels strange. Wooseok is small, but not _this _small. He pulls back the comforter and goes completely frozen when he sees Wooseok there. As a cat. An _actual _cat.

“... Wooseok?” he asks slowly, because Wooseok _never _sleeps as a cat nowadays. At least not when Seungyoun is around. He knows Seungyoun likes to spoon him, which he definitely can’t do when Wooseok is too small to fit in is arms.

He prods his index finger at Wooseok’s wet nose. His paws uncurl, but his eyes don’t open. 

“Wooseokie?” he tries again, gently shaking him. One of Wooseok’s eyes open and then falls shut only a second after. Then he lets out the most pitiful noise Seungyoun’s ever heard. 

Seungyoun’s gaze lingers on Wooseok, his mind and body both struggling to understand what to do. He’s trying not to jump to conclusions, but he’s not sure what conclusion he can jump to other than that Wooseok sounded _hurt_. And he’s a cat. And he’s never either of those things, so Seungyoun’s brain decides to freak out.

“Wooseok? Hey, Wooseokie, Wooseok, what’s wrong?” he asks, more urgently trying to shake him awake. Wooseok keeps sluggishly moving, but _still _doesn’t properly wake up. 

Seungyoun’s panic is rising by the minute, and by the time he figures out what to do, he’s practically yelling into Wooseok’s ears.

“Okay, okay, um,” Seungyoun talks to himself, gathering Wooseok in his arms. He debates on calling Seungwoo, or even Yohan, but being able to feel Wooseok’s shallow breaths is making him a lot more nervous. “I’m sorry, kitten, I’m going to bring us to the car, okay? I’m sorry, I know you hate car rides,” he babbles.

He deposits Wooseok into the passenger seat of his car and then buckles them both in. It doesn’t really do much for Wooseok since, well, he’s a _cat_, but Seungyoun is too scared to take any chances. If he had more confidence in his magical abilities, he’d just teleport them there. He doesn’t, so instead, he speeds through four intersections and a red light to get to Seungwoo’s house.

“Why didn’t you take him to the hospital?” Seungwoo asks, exasperated, when he opens the door to Seungyoun. Wooseok is limp in his arms; Seungyoun might be imagining things, but he _swears_ that in the ten minutes it took to get here, Wooseok’s fur has gotten greyer. 

“I don’t know,” Seungyoun practically screams. Seungwoo blinks at him and Seungyoun shrinks back, holding Wooseok to his chest. “I’m sorry. I don’t know. Please look at him. I don’t—the hospital wouldn’t look at him right away, he’s not human, what if he dies before then?”

Seungwoo opens his mouth to say something, then shuts it, seemingly thinking better. Stepping aside, he gestures for Seungyoun to come in. Seungwoo’s place is scarily neat, but Seungyoun doesn’t have time to dwell on his strange choice in carpeting.

“Who’s that?” A sleepy voice calls. A door upstairs opens and Dongpyo pokes his head out from the top of the stairs. “Seungyoun hyung? And... is that Wooseok hyung?” His eyes sparkle briefly when he sees the sheer amount of fluff on Wooseok, but dim shortly after when he realizes the situation. “Did something happen?”

“Can you make sure the power is working in the basement?” Seungwoo asks. Dongpyo understands the message and rushes down the stairs and then another flight of stairs to the basement, quickly flicking the lights on as he passes them.

Seungyoun feels guilty, clearly having woken Dongpyo up and interrupted Seungwoo’s night. But they’re his coworkers—his _friends_—and he doesn’t trust anyone else. He’ll make it up to them.

“Give him to me,” Seungwoo says, opening his arms. Seungyoun’s chest burns as he does so. He hates seeing Wooseok like this already, he hates it even more when he has absolutely no control over it. Then again, he didn’t really have any in the first place. “How long has he been like this?”

“I don’t know, like—I left the room and he was sleeping, as a _person_, obviously—and then came back like three hours later so, um—maximum three hours?” Seungyoun recounts, fully aware of how unhelpful his short sentences are. “He’s—he’s not dying, right?”

“Familiars can’t die,” Seungwoo says, sounding more patient than Seungyoun could ever hope to be if their positions were reversed. “But he could be sick, yes. Or injured somehow. It should be easy to tell after checking his vitals.”

Seungyoun follows him to the basement, where Dongpyo is putting sheets on a spare bed. It’s not exactly a high-class clinic, or technically a clinic at all, but it’s clean and there’s plenty of medical tools lined up on a table near the wall. 

Like Wooseok, Seungwoo has a penchant for doing harmless, illegal things for his friends, including but not limited to treating non-human magical creatures. Which _technically _requires eight years of medical school and then four more years of specialized training. Seungwoo’s completed zero years. Seungyoun always doubted whether it was worth the risk or not. Until now.

Seungwoo doesn’t have formal training, but he wouldn’t take Wooseok in if he didn’t trust himself to be able to help him. Dongpyo is well taken care of, and the rest of their friends’ familiars. He steels one hand to his chest, trying to calm himself down as Seungwoo murmurs instructions Seungyoun doesn’t understand to Dongpyo.

Most of the magic is done by Dongpyo, who knicks a blood sample from Wooseok while Seungwoo checks his breathing. Neither of them speak in plain language, moving around the room, with Seungwoo occasionally telling Dongpyo to note something down.

“Um, so. Something is definitely wrong, but—” Seungwoo glares at him when Seungyoun makes a pained noise, “—_but _it seems to be related to his magic, not his person. There’s tests hospitals can run to pinpoint the exact issue, but I don’t have that kind of stuff sitting in my basement. I do have a guess, though.”

“What? How does he hurt his—_my _magic?” Seungyoun rephrases quickly. “Wouldn’t I know?”

“You didn’t feel your magic weakening?” Seungwoo asks, as if explaining something to a child.

“No?”

“Hm, well. That either means he’s hiding it from you, or because your bond hasn’t developed. Considering you’ve been together for five years... To answer your question, yes, you’d normally be able to tell. One of the main reasons familiars exist is to warn people about when their magic is weakening. I’ll have to ask him a lot more questions when he wakes up.”

Seungyoun is well aware Seungwoo just told him something important, but all he hones in on is _when he wakes up_. “So he will wake up, right? He’s going to be fine?”

“He should be. If he doesn’t wake up by tomorrow morning, I’m going to have to force you to go to the hospital. Physically, he’s fine, just over-exhausted.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, he rests his hand over Wooseok’s. His skin is cold, a sharp contrast to how he usually is, always pressed up against Seungyoun’s side to stay warm. Whenever Seungyoun gets to watch him sleep, he loves to theorize what he’s dreaming about based off of how his ears move. He’s so _still_ right now, though.

“Thank you,” Seungyoun mumbles, realizing Seungwoo is waiting for him to speak. “Can I stay with him?”

“Of course. I’ll be on the second floor in my room, just call me or Dongpyo if you need anything or if he wakes up.”

Dongpyo throws himself into Seungwoo’s arms as they walk back upstairs, making huge puppy eyes at Seungwoo. He hears Seungwoo reassure him as well—he’ll be fine, you can go back to sleep, thank you for helping—and then the door to the basement shuts.

There’s no beeping from a monitor keeping track of Wooseok’s vitals like there would be at a hospital. Just the sound of Seungyoun’s own laboured breathing and the occasional rustling of his pants whenever his legs get cramped.

He doesn’t even realize he’s fallen asleep until he feels something _twitch _against his fingers. In his sleep-hazed mine, he thinks that he’s still dreaming, until he hears Wooseok speak up. “... Seungyoun?”

Seungyoun’s eyes fly open and then promptly fill with tears. “Oh my god, you’re alive!”

“... Yes?” Wooseok answers as Seungyoun throws a blanket over him and then throws himself at him. He has so many things to tell him—how this was the worst three hours of his _life _or that he seriously thought Wooseok was somehow going to spontaneously pass away—but instead he just cries against Wooseok’s shoulder, wetting his entire shirt with tears. “What—why are you crying? Where are we?”

“Seungwoo hyung’s basement,” Seungyoun hiccups, not bothering to try and control his voice. “You—I came back into the room and you were unresponsive, as a _cat_, I knew something was wrong, and Seungwoo hyung told me I was right!”

Wooseok appears just as shocked as Seungyoun did a few hours earlier. “Am I sick?”

“I don’t know,” Seungyoun admits, trying to wipe the tears off his face. They keep coming, no matter how many times he brushes them away. “He said something about your—our magic—and—I don’t know, but I was so scared. I love you so much. It was so scary.”

Perhaps on instinct, Wooseok squishes Seungyoun’s face and goes _shh_. It only makes Seungyoun cry harder, because Wooseok shouldn’t be the one having to comfort _him_. 

“I don’t know either, but I’m fine, I think. I’m more confused than anything. You can stop crying now,” Wooseok says. Seungyoun opts to go back to hugging him instead of trying to speak more words that won’t make any sense. “It’s okay, I’m fine.” His words do nothing to halt Seungyoun’s tears, but at least Seungyoun knows he’s _okay_.

Half an hour later, the basement door re-opens. “I heard your crying,” Seungwoo explains when Seungyoun looks up. “He woke up faster than I thought. Hi, Wooseok.”

“Hi,” Wooseok says, stroking Seungyoun’s hair while Seungyoun clings to him like a leech. It’s funny; usually their positions are reversed. Nothing in the world could make him let go of Wooseok right now.

“You need to get off him so I can run another test.” Seungwoo gestures him off.

Well, except that. But only because it’s for Wooseok’s sake.

There’s a lot more stuff to do now that Wooseok isn’t a literal cat; after checking all of the basics, Seungwoo pricks his arm properly in a way Dongpyo couldn’t do earlier and slides Wooseok’s blood into a vial.

“Dongpyo is asleep. I don’t really want to wake him up, so... I’ll ask him to look at it when he wakes up, if that’s okay.” He looks between Seungyoun and Wooseok for confirmation.

Seungyoun nods so quickly he sends a few more tears falling. “Of course, it’s fine, as long as he’ll be fine—” He takes a deep breath. “Thank you, hyung.”

Seungwoo shows the first real smile Seungyoun’s seen all night. “It’s no problem. Just...” He turns to Wooseok. “I should ask you before you go back to sleep. It might be easier to jog your memory now rather than later. Have you been feeling different lately?”

Scratching his cheek, Wooseok thinks. “No. Not really. Just more tired, but I’ve also been stressed. Because of, um, well, Seungyounie is stressed, so I guess I am too.” He squints at Seungyoun. “Don’t you dare apologize.”

Wooseok knows him way too well.

“Seungyoun says he hasn’t felt you weakening at all.” Seungwoo looks to Seungyoun for confirmation and he nods. “I know you two don’t exactly use magic a lot, but the sheer fact you live and do almost everything together should mean your bond is more than deep enough for him to be able to feel you exhausting yourself in some way.”

“I haven’t been doing anything different,” Wooseok mumbles, staring at his feet. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

“You haven’t used your magic at all more than usual? Maybe it’s from a lack of use. Sometimes magic can decay if it’s ignored for too long.”

“I mean...” Wooseok pauses, biting his lip. “As I said, it’s only been stuff related to his work. If he needs help. Or if he’s stressed. I’ll help him. But that’s the same as it’s always been.”

Seungyoun perks up at that. “Like what?” he asks, because _he _doesn’t know what specific things Wooseok is talking about. 

“If he’s too stressed, I’ll try and take away a bit of his magic, so he’s not as tense. But, again, I’ve been doing it _forever_. And he still uses it at work, right? So it can’t be underuse.”

Peeking at the notes Dongpyo made earlier, Seungwoo rubs his eyes. “I can’t think of anything either, then. I’d still say you should go to a hospital, but—” Wooseok pales. He _hates _hospitals. “If you don’t want to, whatever it is, it’s not life threatening. You guys should both keep an eye out, though, for things that are unusual. Maybe it’s something you’ve been overlooking. And I’ll ask Dongpyo if he can think of anything either.”

“And the bond? You said... he should be able to feel it.” Wooseok sneaks a glance at Seungyoun, then looks away when Seungyoun looks back. “But he can’t. Why?”

“I really don’t know, Wooseok. I’m sorry. That’s more of a relationship thing than a magic thing, though it could be encouraging whatever it is that’s making you exhausted.”

Wooseok accepts this answer reluctantly. Seungyoun snakes his hand to Wooseok’s hip, just so he can hold him close while Seungwoo finishes up the last of the tests and cleans up where they swabbed Wooseok’s arm with alcohol. 

“I promise I’ll have Dongpyo look at it tomorrow morning and we’ll call you,” Seungwoo repeats, seeing Seungyoun’s ever-anxious expression as he ushers Wooseok off the bed. “But I’m positive that it’s not _serious _serious. You should rest all day tomorrow to be safe, though, Wooseok.”

“Doctor’s orders?”

Seungwoo chuckles, tired. “I guess you can say that. I do have a PhD.”

It’s clear that Seungwoo wants to head back to sleep and he thinks Wooseok’s issue isn’t worth staying up at three in the morning for, so Seungyoun takes the hint and leaves with Wooseok in tow. Much to Wooseok’s chagrin, Seungyoun opens the car door for him and does his seatbelt before going to the driver’s seat.

“I can do my own seat buckle,” Wooseok mumbles. 

“I know. I just... feel better, doing things for you,” Seungyoun says.

The car ride is quiet, and Seungyoun hears Wooseok’s breathing even out in the twenty minutes it takes to drive back. This time he drives slow, stopping properly for every light and making sure not to run over any potholes. Wooseok wakes up when the car turns off and gets out by himself, stumbling towards the door.

“I’m okay,” Wooseok tries to brush him off when Seungyoun hoists him up into his arms. Seungyoun ignores him and carries him to their bed. Wooseok’s original clothes from earlier are still there and Seungyoun kicks them off. “I promise. I really don’t feel any different.”

Seungyoun mumbles an agreement, but still forces Wooseok into bed, tucks him in, and kisses his forehead. Wooseok looks a bit sheepish, being so spoiled suddenly, even though Seungyoun does this kind of stuff every day. It must be different when it’s serious. 

He brings them both cups of water and washes his hands before crawling into bed beside him; to human-Wooseok and not cat-Wooseok.

“Do you know what he meant? About our bond?”

Half of Seungyoun was avoiding thinking about it, and the other half of him just didn’t want to burden Wooseok by bringing it up. But if Wooseok asks him, he’s obligated to answer.

“No. Um... do you?” he answers, unsure, not really knowing what to do if Wooseok says ‘yes’.

“I have no idea,” Wooseok says, shoulders slumping. “I know you think I’m distant sometimes, but I... really, if I knew it was happening, I would’ve tried to fix it a long time ago.”

“I don’t think you’re distant. Not like that. Please don’t feel bad about it.” Seungyoun presses a kiss to Wooseok’s temple. He would drown him in reassuring kisses if it wasn’t for how tired Wooseok was. 

“I swear I’m not trying to hide anything from you. I had no idea... I thought you could feel it,” Wooseok continues, peering up at Seungyoun. His gaze wavers when their eyes meet. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop that. You look so...” Seungyoun doesn’t know how to explain other than _sad_. It’s the exact opposite of what Seungyoun wants. His blood is still boiling from the entire experience of thinking Wooseok was dying; whatever negative energy Wooseok is letting off, Seungyoun projects his own relief back at him. “I love you. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.”

“Okay. I’m sorry,” Wooseok repeats. Seungyoun pinches him to quiet him.

“Seriously, stop sulking and sleep. I know you’re tired.” Any worry he had over their bond seeps away after seeing Wooseok so openly concerned. He’s blindsided as much as Seungyoun is; so, whatever is happening, he can’t blame Wooseok. 

“I’m not sulking.” Wooseok purses his lips. Seungyoun wonders if Wooseok is doing it on purpose, to get Seungyoun to keep babying him without him having to actually ask Seungyoun for anything. 

This time, while he shushes him, Seungyoun rolls them both over so Wooseok’s back is to his chest. “Shhh. You totally are.”

Wooseok lets out a quiet laugh, making a lazy attempt to squirm away from him.

“Now go to sleep. And you’ll... tell me if you feel weird or not, right?” Seungyoun pokes him in the side.

“I don’t feel weird at all. Just sleepy. But that’s not unusual,” Wooseok replies. Seungyoun pokes him again when he doesn’t answer. “I promise.”

True to his word, Wooseok tells him whenever he feels his energy faltering, even a little. Seungyoun jumps on him at every chance to pester him still, redirecting him to the bed after seeing Wooseok yawn.

“Just because I’m a cat doesn’t mean I want to spend _all _day in bed.” Wooseok gnaws at his lower lip.

“Seungwoo hyung said you should rest!”

“He also said that I seem to be fine,” Wooseok points out. He suppresses a sigh and musters a smile for Seungyoun. “I know you’re worried. But I’m okay. I’ll keep saying it until you believe me.”

Seungyoun suddenly thinks of something. “Can I bring you home anything?”

“Like what?”

“I dunno, like... food, or a book you want, or something. I can’t keep leaving you here to lie around in bed and do nothing.”

“Isn’t that what you’ve done for the past five years?” Wooseok raises a brow. 

“This is _different_.” Seungyoun doesn’t fail to catch the roll of his eyes Wooseok gives him. “Don’t act like you don’t like it. Or don’t want anything.”

Wooseok pinches Seungyoun’s cheek. “It’s not that. I’m just worried you’re spending too much time stressing out over this. Yeah, it was scary when I passed out. It was scary for me too, waking up in Seungwoo hyung’s basement, naked. I don’t want you to go to work and think about whether or not you’re a bad person for leaving me here while I’m ‘sick’. I’m not sick,” Wooseok insists.

It’s Seungyoun’s turn to pout. They hold a thirty-second staring contest before Seungyoun gives in; the chances of him winning against Wooseok’s stubbornness are slim.

“I’ll _try_ to stop worrying so much,” Seungyoun says finally. “Happy?”

“Only if you actually follow through.”

“So your happiness is dependent on me trying to control my worry? That’s a lot of pressure!”

Wooseok laughs then for some reason. “Yes, that’s exactly what I meant.”

Seungyoun exhales deeply, opting to rough up Wooseok’s hair rather than keep trying to debate with him. Wooseok is right; he doesn’t have any reason to keep worrying so much, not when Wooseok is so insistent on being okay. Seungyoun has to trust him.

“... So, do you want anything or not?”

“I don’t know, do I?”

“What kind of an answer is _that_?”

“You know what I like!” Wooseok exclaims, tail swishing back and forth. Blush spreads down his neck.

“Oh. You want cat treats. Okay.”

“Can you not call them that, please?” Wooseok asks.

“They are literally treats, from the pet store, for cats. I don’t know why you’re so embarrassed, kitt—” Wooseok slaps a hand over his mouth, his face lighting an even brighter red.

“Okay! Bye! Have fun at work!” he says, shoving Seungyoun out the door without his coat or his car keys. Seungyoun opens his mouth to point it out, but Wooseok is one step ahead of him, pushing everything he needs for work into his arms. “Bye!” he says again, slamming the door right in Seungyoun’s face.

Seungyoun blinks, then shouts through the door, “I love you too!” Wooseok makes a strangled noise. Seungyoun can hear him stomp to their room and slam that door, too.

If Wooseok feels well enough to get flustered and run off, he must be at least marginally okay. Seungyoun goes to work feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders (which then promptly gets put back on tenfold when he’s reminded of all the research he has to do).

“I didn’t know what flavor you wanted, fish or chicken, so I got both.” Seungyoun tosses the cat treats to Wooseok and he catches them mid-air, eyes sparkling. His attempt at hiding his glee is fruitless when his purring is louder than a motorboat. “Everyone says hi, too.”

“Hi,” Wooseok answers, ripping open one of the bags. Seungyoun snorts.

Once he takes his laptop out of his bag and crawls into his favourite spot in bed, the door swings open and Wooseok bounds into his arms, a smile around spread across his face.

“Ew.” Seungyoun pushes him away by the forehead. “Your breath smells like cat treats.”

“You’re the one who bought them for me!” Wooseok complains, falling onto his heels. “How can you complain about it?”

“Go brush your teeth before we kiss.” Wooseok’s ears fall in annoyance but he goes to the bathroom. Seungyoun shuts his laptop down and sets it aside, opening up Wooseok’s favourite spot for him.

This time, Seungyoun doesn’t fight it as Wooseok pushes their lips together. One hand moves around his waist and another around his ass, bringing Wooseok on top of him.

“We haven’t kissed as much lately,” Wooseok mumbles. Seungyoun squeezes and kneads his ass, loving the way Wooseok shudders. “I’m not sick, if that’s why you’re avoiding it.”

“I’m not avoiding it,” Seungyoun says as a poor excuse. Wooseok whines in disbelief in response, his own hands knotting into Seungyoun’s hair. Seungyoun doesn’t do much except stroke his skin, but Wooseok grows pliant, biting his lower lip red to hold back his gasps.

“Then kiss me,” Wooseok huffs.

Seungyoun fervently licks into Wooseok’s mouth, lapping over the place where he’s bleeding from biting himself. Wooseok’s entire weight is on top of him, but Seungyoun barely feels anything except the way Wooseok’s chest heaves and how his cock is rubbing against Seungyoun’s thigh, only a thin layer of fabric in between them.

“Your wish is my command,” Seungyoun vows, gripping the edge of Wooseok’s boxers and pulling them down in one swoop. It barely takes any time at all for him to have Wooseok mewling, his back on the bed and legs spread wide.

Not that Seungyoun would have it any other way. It feels _normal _like this, and Seungyoun’s beginning to realize that’s all he wants for himself, as long as it involves Wooseok.

The next day, Seungyoun retracts that thought.

“I figured it out! Oh my god,” Dongpyo shouts, slamming down a stack of messy papers on Seungyoun’s desk. Seungyoun squints at him. “Seungyoun hyung, you owe me like a thousand dollars after this.”

“Uh. I don’t know if I want to agree to that before hearing what _it_ is.” He makes air quotes with his fingers.

“Can I use this chair? I’m using it,” Dongpyo announces before Seungyoun can respond. He props his chin on both hands, seemingly waiting for Seungyoun to give him his full attention. Seungyoun sighs and swivels his own chair to face him.

“Ever since Yohan hyung ‘tripped’ into your cactus, I’ve been trying to figure out why. He was just as confused as the rest of us were, so I knew it couldn’t have been him just being clumsy.” Yohan perks up from his desk across from Seungyoun’s, hearing his name. “So then I did a little live experimentation with him and Hangyul hyung.”

“Wait, you did what? Is that why you bought us food?! Did you poison us?!” Yohan says quickly, looking at his hands like they were falling apart or something. They weren’t.

Dongpyo shoots him an unimpressed look and continues, “Hangyul hyung is never around, so his magic isn’t really bound to everything else in here, even if Yohan’s is. Plus, they’re younger than you and Wooseok hyung, so it’s more difficult for their bond to reach each other when they’re apart. Now, I’m always here with Seungwoo hyung, so our magic is always connected. And then you and Wooseok hyung—”

“If you think my cactus sucking has something to do with our bond, that doesn’t make sense. Wooseok doesn’t hang out around here much either.”

“Don’t interrupt me! I’m getting there. You and Wooseok hyung have been together longer and, are, um, together, so.” Dongpyo tries not to make a face. “Your bond is really strong. Your magic is connected even when you’re apart. The point _is_ that you guys are pretty solidly connected.”

“Hangyul and I connect a lot,” Yohan interjects. Seungyoun makes a gagging noise. Dongpyo doesn’t dignify him with a response.

“So, I was originally just trying to see if the cactus itself was somehow affecting Yohan hyung specifically, by asking Hangyul hyung to come in. Hangyul hyung being around didn’t make Yohan hyung any more or less perceptive—but it did make him stop tripping straight into your plant.”

“Wait a second, make him stop? _How many times did you trip_? I thought it was only three!”

“Like... I dunno. Fifteen? But it doesn’t matter now that you put that protective charm over it! I don’t need to report it if I don’t get hurt from it.”

“For me and Seungwoo hyung, me being here all the time protects him. I’m carrying all the magic, so I know when he’s in danger and how to protect him. Even if I’m not really thinking about it. And Wooseok hyung has strong feelings for you, so he can protect you from afar. It’s more difficult, since he’s not actually here, which is probably why he collapsed the other day. And then finally, Yohan and Hangyul hyung’s bond is newer, and since they aren’t together all the time—” Dongpyo’s voice rises more and more with excitement, but Seungyoun’s still struggling to understand the first part.

“My cactus is somehow... _tripping_ Yohan because Hangyul isn’t here to protect him?”

“Yeah!”

“I don’t know what you mean, but that seems a little harsh.” Hangyul drops a paper lunch bag onto Yohan’s desk. “Whatever it is, Yohan can take care of himself. Usually.”

“I don’t think it’s tripping him specifically. More like trying to suck his energy. Obviously, Hangyul hyung being here shields him from that. When he’s not, Yohan hyung feels inexplicably drawn towards your plant, gets confused, and then ends up tripping.”

“That’s...” Seungyoun trails off.

“Hilarious, holy shit,” Hangyul bursts out laughing, much to Yohan’s embarrassment. “Are you serious? Can we test it again right now?”

“I’d really rather not!” Yohan yells.

“You probably will need to test it more since—secondly, this confirms your hypothesis, right?” Dongpyo nods towards Seungyoun. “At least to some point. I’ve never heard of a cactus sucking people’s magic. Lots of other plants, but cacti are said to be too docile.”

“Oh.” Seungyoun pauses. “You’re right.” A dozen thoughts hit him all at once, but he knows where Dongpyo is going with this. “Nevermind, I do owe you a thousand dollars.” 

He looks over his shoulder at his relatively innocent-looking cactus. It’s sitting in the same position as always, cushioned by Seungyoun’s magic.

“Yeah, I know. You’re welcome.” Dongpyo tap his pen against the stack of papers he left on Seungyoun’s desk. “I wrote down a bunch of stuff I found about this sort of magic. You can sift through it and do the real work, but... yeah. Now you don’t need to look so depressed all the time!”

Seungyoun finally grins, seeing the amount of work Dongpyo put into this. His project might actually be _saved_. Wooseok isn’t _dying_, he’s only tired from protecting Seungyoun. 

“Thank you!” His chair squeals as he pushes it back, standing up quickly. “I need to go home and tell Wooseok. Can I leave? Can I take these papers with me?” He starts packing up the papers into his bag. Dongpyo shrugs. “I’m taking my next vacation day, um, now.”

“Go ahead,” Seungwoo says, bemused.

Seungyoun trips over himself while running to the exit, and not because of the cactus. “Yohan! Don’t hurt my plant while I’m gone!” he calls.

“Me? Hurt _it_?! Did you not hear what he said? It’s trying to kill me! Forget Wooseok hyung, I could’ve died! How am I supposed to come to work now knowing that a semi-sentient _cactus_ is tripping me in order to steal my livelihood or whatever—” Seungyoun doesn’t hear the rest of his sentence, but judging by Hangyul’s loud laughter, he’s not missing out on much. He promises to send Yohan a gift basket later—but only after he gets to Wooseok.

“Huh? Seungyounie? You’re home early. Really early, actually, did something hap—mmmf—!”

Seungyoun kisses him straight on the mouth, pressing Wooseok’s back to the counter and swallowing whatever was left of his sentence. Wooseok drops the ladle he was holding onto the counter so he can return the kiss properly, breathless.

He licks into Wooseok’s mouth, not particularly interested in having sex but more just wanting to show him—stuff. Everything. How badly he wants to hear Wooseok moan. He does, eyes fluttering shut when Seungyoun bites his lip.

“Welcome home?” Wooseok says when Seungyoun pulls back for air. He sways on his feet while he tries to catch his balance.

“My cactus!” Seungyoun yelps.

“Did it finally die?” Wooseok sounds somewhat hopeful. Seungyoun would’ve been too, if not for Dongpyo’s discovery. 

“No! It’s super alive! It’s trying to kill us but it could only get to Yohan because apparently _you _were protecting me from it.” Seungyoun entwines their fingers together. “That’s why you’re so tired nowadays!”

“I... have so many questions.” Wooseok makes something between a laugh and a choke. “But, maybe? I think I do that sort of stuff without really thinking about it. Can you back up a bit?”

“Thank you,” Seungyoun says instead of answering his question. “I’m so—relieved. And happy. I love you.”

He doesn’t dwell on whether Wooseok’s side is romantic or not, because Wooseok loves him. In some way. He’s protecting him. Seungyoun foregoes kissing him to hug him tightly.

It’s not like Seungyoun’s ever actively thought Wooseok didn’t—but something about having it confirmed in a tangible, personal way sends Seungyoun over the moon from happiness.

Wooseok’s face _burns_; for once, he doesn’t snap back a witty retort. Seungyoun preens, nuzzling his nose to Wooseok’s jaw in the way Wooseok does to him, all cat-like.

“I still don’t know what you’re talking about, but—” Wooseok’s voice grows shier. “I—I love you too.” A very quiet purr is elicited from his throat when Seungyoun keeps nuzzling him.

“I love you too,” Seungyoun repeats back automatically. 

One. Two. Three. It takes Seungyoun’s brain three seconds to process what Wooseok just said.

“Wait, what? Did you just say _I love you_?”

“Why—why do you sound so _shocked_?” Both his ears and cheeks flush red. Seungyoun’s mirrors his.

“You never say it! I thought...” Seungyoun’s mouth feels dry. He swallows. “You never _say _it, so...”

“I shouldn’t have to explain it to you!” Wooseok mumbles. “Of course I love you. You’re the reason why I exist. But even outside of that, you’re... you’ve given me every single thing that’s ever made me happy. I wouldn’t even know what that word means if it wasn’t for you.”

He’s saying so many words that Seungyoun can’t wrap his head around. He grabs Wooseok by the shoulders and stares straight at him, forcing Wooseok to glance away.

“But... but... You _love _me? Like... like I do to you?”

“I sure hope so,” Wooseok mutters, glaring at Seungyoun out of the corner of his eyes.

“But...” Seungyoun can’t think of anything to say but _but, but, but. _“You always joke about how we aren’t together! And—you never say it back to me!”

“Because I’m—I just don’t like saying it when I can show you! I thought I do that all the time. You’ve never talked to me about it before.” Wooseok crosses his arms over his chest. 

“You mean the only reason you haven’t called us officially together is because you’re _shy_?” A laugh is bubbling in Seungyoun’s throat.

“That’s... Well, if you put it that way, it sounds stupid!”

“No. No! I’m so happy. I... You’re so cute.” Seungyoun sniffles, laughing at the same time as his eyes water. “I feel stupid. It—it almost seems too good to be true.”

“... I really hate how you’re acting like this is a surprise.”

“No, stop. I’m—I’m too happy to let you sulk from embarrassment. Oh my god.” Seungyoun kisses him again, and again, little pecks onto Wooseok’s sulky face. “Why didn’t you just say we’re together? Why always joke about it?”

“We live together, eat together, sleep together, you’re the only person I’ve ever done any of those things with. I don’t understand why you need me to define it so badly.” Wooseok tilts his head away from Seungyoun; he can feel the waves of heat coming off of Wooseok’s cheeks. He’s not sure which is worse: Seungyoun tearing up or Wooseok being completely unable to look at him.

“Because I want to go and tell everyone that we’re _together_ together!”

“Don’t you do that anyways?”

“Yeah, but not in a romantic way! I... Fuck, this is so stupid, right?” Seungyoun fights back the shed of tears with his sleeve. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to scare you off. You didn’t say anything because you’re _shy_. We’re so dumb.”

“I’m not—I never doubted the fact we’re in love, Seungyoun. I’m pretty sure the only person in the world who was confused over that is _you_.” Wooseok sighs. “Anyways, you could never scare me off. Don’t be ridiculous. If you being annoying could scare me off, I’d be long gone already.”

“Wait, what does that mean?” 

“Be quiet, it doesn’t matter anymore.” Wooseok finally manages a real smile. “Go tell people whatever you want about us. I’m happy with the way things are. Which is... we love each other. So. You know I’ve never stopped you from saying that.”

Seungyoun froze, more tears welling up as he sifts through his memories, only to realize Wooseok is right.

Shit. _Fuck_. Have they actually been dating this entire time? Is Seungyoun the only one who didn’t know?

“Please don’t cry,” Wooseok begs. “It’ll make me cry too.”

“You’re so stupid. I’m so stupid.” Seungyoun pets his hair and squeezes him tighter, resting his chin on Wooseok’s shoulder and breathing in his scent. “I love you so much. Thank you for—protecting me from my cactus, and loving me, and putting up with me.”

“... I didn’t know I was protecting you from anything, let alone your cactus.” Wooseok smacks his chest playfully, his own tears dripping onto Seungyoun’s shoulder. Seungyoun laughs weakly, too choked up to laugh as much as he actually wants to.

When they part, Wooseok giggles. “You look really silly right now.”

“Wh... Huh? That’s the first thing you’re going to say to me after all that?!”

“What? Nothing is changing, right? You love me. And I... love you. Like always. That’s how it’s always been.”

An immeasurable amount of joy explodes in Seungyoun’s chest, despite the fact Wooseok is teasing him.

“Yeah,” he says softly. “You’re right.” He holds Wooseok there until his legs start hurting from staying in one spot for too long. They stop crying eventually, but they’re both still shuddering from the aftermath.

After wiping down their faces with a wet towel, Wooseok suddenly turns to him.

“You know, I was starting to think you were just really, really bad at your job.”

Seungyoun gapes at him, unsure whether to cry again from laughter or offense.

Instead, he takes a deep breath, and says what he’d normally say: “Why? Scared you’d have to give up your position as my trophy pet?”

“I’m not—Don’t—” His words have the desired effect on Wooseok. He sputters, playing with his shirt. “That’s mean!” Wooseok whines.

“Like always,” Seungyoun echoes Wooseok’s own words.

“I hate you,” Wooseok grumbles.

“No, you don’t.” Seungyoun hums happily.

Wooseok frowns. “Of course I don’t, shut up. I literally do things for you all the time to show you I don’t.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“You _know _what!” Wooseok responds.

“You should show me again to make sure I know.” Seungyoun steps back until he hits the bed, falling onto his back and waiting for Wooseok to join him.

“Fine. But only because I feel bad for you this one time.”

Seungyoun doesn’t have any doubts, not after Wooseok breathes his name and _I love you _at the same time as he cums.

“So, everything is fixed now, right? I can come out now?” Yohan yells from across the room. Seungwoo stifles a groan.

“Yes, Yohan, you can come out now.”

“Oh, thank god. I’m pretty sure there was a spider in that corner with me.” He dramatically shakes and brushes off all his clothes. 

“How terrifying,” Hangyul drawls.

“Alright, Hangyul, leave the room so we can test it.” Hangyul exits the lab and stands on the other side of the wall, face pressed to the glass. “Yohan, just... walk up, I guess.”

Yohan takes five very short, very tentative steps towards the cactus. They all hold their breath for various reasons—Yohan because he’s worried he’s going to trip over his own feet, Seungyoun because he wants to get back to working already.

Fortunately, Yohan doesn’t trip. In fact, after the first lap around the cactus, he’s skipping.

“I’m free!”

“I can’t believe you tripped over fifteen times,” Junho says, exasperation clear from his tone. “I really thought it was you getting old and clumsy.”

“Hey! Did you just call me old, brat?” Yohan stops his skipping to tackle Junho. 

Now that Seungyoun knows what to look for, his observations are going a lot smoother. He and Seungwoo have devised a spell to contain the cactus’ reach to a certain area, with Yohan as their test subject. For the first time in weeks, he loses track of time at work.

But even while he’s nose-deep in writing, he feels something. Just a little twitch in his head, telling him to look up. He sees Wooseok at the lab door, punching in the code, and Seungyoun realizes this is the first time he’s ever been able to sense Wooseok coming closer through their bond alone.

“Hello.” Wooseok sets a box of tupperware beside him. “You left your lunch at home.”

Seungyoun’s smile splits his face. “Oh.” Rather than pulling the tupperware closer, he pulls Wooseok for a kiss. “You came all the way here by yourself, huh?”

“Yes, Seungyoun. I am capable of leaving the house on my own. I think I do it a lot more than you think I do.” He rolls his eyes, but a smile betrays his amusement.

“You came _all the way here, by yourself_,” Seungyoun repeats, “Because you love me so much!” Everyone in the lab turns to stare at them.

“Yes, Seungyoun, _please _stop yelling. I’m telling you, this is only news to you, not the rest of us!”

Seungyoun hears him, but he can’t help it. He wants to go shout off rooftops that Wooseok loves _him_. Him!

Wooseok kisses him out of nowhere. 

“What?” Seungyoun says, dazed, after.

“You looked cute.” Wooseok shrugs. His ears are flat, trying to seem nonchalant. 

That’s it. Seungyoun’s going to cry again.

“I love you, I love you, I love y—”

Someone clears their throat. “Are you taking your lunch break now, hyung, or are you standing there kissing Wooseok hyung on the job?” Dongpyo taps his clipboard.

“Break! Oh, shit, I totally forgot I can take breaks. Thanks!” He grabs the tupperware and Wooseok’s hand and runs for the rooftop stairs. He can hear Wooseok call _Sorry about him _behind them, but judging by how elated he looks when Seungyoun stretches out a blanket for them on the roof (not an illegal one), he’s pretty sure Wooseok isn’t sorry.

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: [@kaetreun](https://twitter.com/kaetreun)  
cc: [@kaetreun](https://curiouscat.me/kaetreun)
> 
> come and tell me how much you hate the word cactus after reading this


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